1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the configuration of an image processing apparatus, such as a facsimile machine, that includes a common conveyance path used for both a document and a recording medium.
2. Related Background Art
An image processing apparatus, such as a facsimile machine wherein part of a conveyance path is employed in common for both a document and a recording medium, has been proposed for size and cost reduction purposes.
One example of such a configuration is shown in FIG. 11. The image processing apparatus in FIG. 11 comprises: an ASF unit 301, for separating and individually conveying recording medium in a stack stacked on a stacking tray; an ADF unit 302, for separating and individually conveying document sheets in a stack stacked therein; an auxiliary convey roller 303, for conveying a recording medium or a document conveyed by the ASF unit 301 or the ADF unit 302; a main convey roller 304, for conveying a recording medium or a document at a predetermined velocity; a delivery roller 305, for the delivery, outside the apparatus, of a recording medium or a document; a scanner 306, for reading data from a document; and a recording unit 307, for forming an image on a recording medium. In this configuration, the auxiliary convey roller 303, the main convey roller 304, the delivery roller 305 and a guide member, which together form a conveyance path, are commonly employed for a document and a recording medium, so as to attain a reduction in the size and the cost of the image processing apparatus. The thus arranged facsimile machine is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,890, for example.
Another configuration has been proposed wherein the rotation and the revolution of a single feeding roller are controlled for the feeding of recording medium, received from a sheet cassette, through a manual paper port (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. H03-243545). According to the arrangement disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. H03-243545, a feeding roller can be rotated and moved between two recording medium stacking means, so that recording medium can be fed by either stacking means.
In the structure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,890, the scanner 306 is located upstream of the main convey roller 304, and the auxiliary convey roller 303 is arranged so as to support, for the ADF unit 302, an unstable conveying velocity used to convey the document to the main convey roller 304. However, compared with another conveying means and a conveyance path that are employed to convey a document and a recording medium, merely the delivery roller 305 is employed in common, and the reduction in the size and the cost of the apparatus is unsatisfactory.
In the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. H03-243545, the mechanism and control process for rotating the feeding roller are complicated, and separation means must be provided for each stacking means. Therefore, the reduction in the size and the cost of the apparatus is also unsatisfactory.